Either way it will have been something that Essendon’s coaching panel with have thought long and hard about over the pre-season. You only need to take one look at the Essendon side on the training track at the moment to realise that it is strength that has been made a priority in terms of the side’s physical preparation. Essendon is noticeably bigger. Youngsters such as Joel Reynolds and Jordan Bannister have built up but so have some senior players. The upper bodies of Matthew Lloyd, Jason Johnson and Mark Johnson have grown significantly.
Essendon assistant coach Mark Harvey said it is one area the club has worked hard on during the pre-season. “I think we needed to get bigger and physically stronger but you don’t want to do that to the extent that you begin to compromise pace. It is a delicate balancing act but we pinpointed strength as an area we wanted to work on,” Harvey said.
“Brisbane is a side whose success has very much revolved around size, strength and power. They are obviously the measuring stick at the moment so you need to try and match them in that area to some degree. But as I say you don’t want to compromise pace or the type of game plan that you think is best suited to your list of players and the physical make up of that list.”
Harvey said the draft / trade process could also be used as a way of addressing any weaknesses in strength and speed. “Adam McPhee is a very strong young man so he certainly adds to our list in terms of physical presence. Damian Cupido is also quite strong but he probably gives us more in terms of pace. So those two players have added to us in different areas,” Harvey said. “We drafted Jason Winderlich and Darren Walsh who both give us speed.”
The Bombers face the most difficult task in football in Round 1 of season 2003 – Brisbane at the Gabba. And it will do so without suspended duo Mark Bolton and Dustin Fletcher. It will be interesting to see how the Bombers go trying to match the physical Brisbane Lions’ side.
